Streamers, I think this is it – I think we’ve found it: an easy-to-use, minimalist mic that isn’t super expensive and delivers studio-quality sound. NZXT hasn’t been in the audio or microphone game for a few years now and the Capsule is a serious comeback built to compete with the best gaming mics. At $129.99, this mic isn’t quite as budget-friendly as options like the HyperX solo castI but with the option to sit in a standard or boom arm and a cardioid polar pattern, both novice and experienced streamers will enjoy the Capsule.
NZXT Capsule Specifications
| Frequency Response | 100 – 20,000 Hz |
| Preview / Bit rate | 24-bit / 96KHz |
| Polar Patterns | cardioid |
| Headphone Amplifier Impedance | 16 ohms |
| Dimensions (with stand, LxWxH) | 115 × 131.3 × 252.8mm |
| without stand | 60 x 65.1 x 170.2mm |
| Weight | 1.94lbs / 883g |
| without stand | .64lbs / 314g |
| Guarantee | 2 years |
Design of the NZXT capsule
If you like all things black, you’ll be happy to know that the Capsule comes in a black or white colorway. Both options are very minimalistic. There are only two buttons and a ring light on the bottom of the microphone. The top knob controls the microphone gain and the bottom knob is the headphone volume knob.
At the very bottom of the mic is a USB-C port, a thread to connect to a boom arm, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The rubber-wrapped cord plugs into a USB-C port on the microphone and has USB-A on the other end.
The screw thread on the bottom of the microphone is for an adapter that connects it to a three-eighth inch boom arm or the stand that comes in the box. The microphone gain knob has five circles that go from smallest to largest – because this version is black, the circles are harder to see. The same goes for the volume rocker, the glossy black notches are hard to see unless they catch a glimpse of light.
The good news is that regardless of the orientation of the mic, whether it’s in a stand on the desk or an arm that turns clockwise, it always means more gain and volume. But both knobs scroll infinitely, which isn’t the best, and there are no ticks or bumps or other feedback to indicate how far the knobs have been turned.
The microphone is encased in a matte finish and a light that circles the microphone is embedded in the bottom of the housing. The light is a visual indicator of hardware-based damping. It turns red when muted and white when muted. Pressing the volume button mutes and mutes the microphone.
The stand that comes with the microphone is weighted. Both weigh 1.9 pounds together, and the mic itself weighs 0.64 pounds — the stand is heavier than the mic. The stand is connected on both sides with two gears, which are connected with a belt that nestles in the microphone. Loosening the gears and then pressing a button on the back of the strap removes the microphone from the stand. Not only is the stand smooth, well built and heavy – there’s also a built-in shock mount to minimize noise if you accidentally bump your mic.
Sound quality on the NZXT capsule
Here’s what really matters in NZXT’s latest microphone. The company claims it is designed to be easy to use, minimize background noise and have a cardioid polar pattern.
When I first plugged in this microphone, I thought I was smooth in a Zoom meeting. I got a loud screeching noise through my headphones and I had to keep calm in front of the camera while panicking internally while hosting and recording the call. I can only hope the recording doesn’t pick up on the screeching. I did some troubleshooting after I got out of the Zoom call and found that you can’t use this microphone with a USB extender because it doesn’t provide enough power.
I had to switch from my usual headset, which uses USB Type-C to connect to my computer, as the Capsule delivers audio through a 3.5mm jack. Having the volume knob close by made it easy to adjust the headphone output if needed.
Testing this mic on Zoom calls while my husband was 25 feet away was a little disappointing. He, like me, works from home, so if he gets rowdy or excited about something, everyone in a Zoom conversation will know. I even tried testing the noise gate; I said something and asked him to say something 2 seconds after I spoke. He was interrupted a bit, but was still audible – what a bummer.
My next experiment was through Google Meet, I just had to adjust the gain a bit. That’s annoying, though, because depending on where my meeting is, my microphone needs different settings, so I’ll always adapt. The volume menu bar in Windows automatically turned off and muted itself every time I tried to slide it to 100.
This microphone does best when it’s next to you. A suitable sage for lovers may have an arm. The closer I got to the microphone, the sulter and fuller my voice sounded. You can’t see that I have high ceilings and the roaring train almost disappears. However, if I’m too far from the microphone, my voice can sound shaky and distorted. When I discovered the perfect gain setting, I still got good studio sound when I was less than two feet from the microphone. I have not experienced dropping my voice or turning it on and off. Even when I started whispering and tried to give my listeners some impromptu ASMR, everything picked up beautifully. When I stood right in front of the microphone and spoke, it sounded like I was spreading butter on a warm brioche bun.
Most importantly, my game stream’s sound is a lot sharper. The audio for my YouTube videos doesn’t sound like they’re echoing, clipping, or empty – quite the contrary.
Software on the NZXT Capsule
The problem NZXT wanted to solve is the high learning curve of audio software and minimizing errors. While no software is required to use the Capsule, remember that this minimizes pilot error. Here’s the proof as there is no software I can’t see where the gain is set. Since the knobs have no indicators for how far they’ve been turned, I can only tell by asking the person on the receiving end or monitoring my levels by plugging the headphones into the mic. Using different software requires different gain levels.
Many microphones, like the Razer Seiren Emote, come with software that lets you see gain and volume. XLR mics with interfaces like Focusrite give you much more control over gain and volume.
NZXT doesn’t come with software, so any adjustment I need to make I do with the gain button on the microphone and in Device Properties in Windows 10’s audio settings. This is basically how I found my sweet spot. I turned the mic up to 54 percent and turned the gain knob clockwise to turn up the gain and get more detail in my voice – it’s perfect.
Even with mics that do come with software, I still find myself having to tweak Windows settings to get the best quality, so this isn’t a deal breaker in any way.
Bottom Line
I really enjoyed using this mic as I started to find the sweet spots with the gain and volume in the Windows 10 settings. I transitioned seamlessly from a Twitch live stream to a Facebook live stream to Discord voice chats without touching any buttons.
The mic is stylish whether you prefer a monochrome or all-black look, and the metal stand feels solid. However, the knobs, which spin endlessly without much feedback, were out of order.
But if you’re a streamer looking for something more or less plug and play, this is something to keep in mind.